1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a joint device for an automotive wiring harness and is particularly designed to form a joint circuit by connecting wire groups which will form a wiring harness with each other without using a splice connection and a connection by a joint connector so as to make it unnecessary to later insert terminals into a connector when a wiring harness is formed on an assembly board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, wire groups of a prior art wiring harness have been connected with each other to form a joint circuit by a splice connection as shown in FIG. 8 or by using a joint connector 1 as shown in FIG. 9.
The prior art splice connection shown in FIG. 8, is formed by exposing cores at the ends of wires w2, w3. The exposed cores then are connected with a wire w1 that has been peeled in intermediate positions by intermediate barrels 2 when a partly bound harness is formed. Terminals at the ends of the wires w2, w3 of the partly bound harness having these prior art splice connection portions are inserted into a connector 3 of another partly bound harness for connection, and the wiring harness then is fully bound on an assembly board.
A connection is made with the prior art joint connector 1 shown in FIG. 9 by inserting terminals 4 connected with wire ends into a joint connector 1. The terminals 4 then are connected by a joint busbar 5 that has been accommodated in the joint connector 1. All wires cannot be connected with the joint connector 1 when the partly bound harness is formed. Accordingly, the wires of one partly bound harness are connected with the joint connector 1 at this stage, and terminals at ends of wires of an other partly bound harness are inserted later into the joint connector 1 for connection when the wiring harness is fully bound on the assembly board.
As described above, in each of the prior art connection by splices shown in FIG. 8 and the prior art connection by the joint connector shown in FIG. 9, there are terminals which are not inserted into the connector, i.e. the terminals are not completely inserted into the connector when the partly bound harness is formed. Thus, these terminals need to be inserted later into the connector of the other partly bound harness when the wiring harness is fully bound on the assembly board. Terminals that are to be inserted later into the connector, must be inserted carefully into specified terminal cavities. This results in more labor and time for the connection, a reduced productivity and a higher likeliness of an error insertion.
In view of the above problem, an object of the present invention is to form a joint circuit simply and easily by eliminating the later insertion of terminals into a connector.